


So In Love

by cynicalkairos



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Emma trying to get those two together, First Kiss, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Karaoke, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Mentions of alcohol, Serenading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 11:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19250389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynicalkairos/pseuds/cynicalkairos
Summary: Apocalypse Never Happened AUEmma dragged Paul to a party and little did he know, Bill brought a karaoke machine.





	So In Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for Paul and Bill without them being side characters, so I hope they're not too ooc. I just love these two and they need more content.
> 
> Also, it was definitely not supposed to be this long. And you know, ship happened.
> 
> Haha puns :)

No one knew for sure how this night started, but it definitely had something to do with alcohol.

Paul sat on the couch in Hidgens’s house, sipping a beer. He’s not really sure how Emma convinced him to come to the little party. Now thinking of it, it probably was the promise of alcohol.

Nevertheless, he’s here and on the way to getting drunk.

Paul looked around and saw his friends hanging out in the expansive living room. Emma and Ted were watching Hidgens mix drinks with the flare and precision of an expert bartender. Both of their jaws were almost to the ground when he tossed the bottles in the air and caught them. Bill and Charlotte were talking as Bill set up this machine that he had no idea what the purpose was for. Charlotte just stood at the edge and watched Bill worked, even though he was clearly struggling. 

Even from afar, Paul saw the way Bill’s jeans hugged his thighs while he attempted to get the machine to work. He couldn’t help but stare, watching each one of his movements through the dim lighting. Okay, Paul might have a bit of a crush on his best friend. And it’s not like everyone knew, right? He only told Emma– god damn it. Emma probably told everyone except Bill. She wasn’t exactly the best with secrets.

Paul felt himself squeezing the beer bottle tightly in his hands, making his knuckles pale. He took a deep breath and averted his gaze away from Bill. “Take a deep breath,” he soothed himself. “It’s gonna be fine.”

Without thinking, he felt himself stand up and move toward Bill. Paul’s mind raced at incredible speeds. He saw Emma’s and Ted’s eyes glance toward him with Ted giving him an eyebrow wiggle and a wink and Emma giving him a thumbs up as he passed. He placed the beer down on the side table, before approaching him with his hands in his pockets. “Need any help?”

Bill paused the conversation with Charlotte and looked up at him, almost scrambling to stand up when he realized it was him. He took a second to brush off his jeans and smiled at Paul for what Paul swore was forever, until Bill looked down at the machine.

“Oh,” Bill said, nodding quickly. “Yeah. I just– uh, can’t get it to work.”

“Cool, cool, cool,” Paul replied and immediately regretted his response. Up close, the alcohol made his mind a bit fuzzy and he couldn’t figure out what the machine was, asking Bill to identify it for him.

Bill’s eyes lit up and the smile widened on his face. “It’s a karaoke machine!”

“A karaoke machine? What’s it doing here?”  
“Well, Alice said that it might be a fun thing for us to do. And she knows a lot more about parties than me, so I trusted her opinion,” Bill said. Paul nodded absentmindedly while going over to get his drink, signaling that he was still listening. “Dang it. Paul, I– I know that you don’t like–”

“It doesn’t matter,” Paul spurted out suddenly, looking away quickly. “I mean, I just can’t wait to get funny videos of everyone drunk singing Abba.”

Bill laughed and Paul swore that his heart skipped a beat. “Stop it,” he thought to himself again. “Now’s not the time.”

“That will be funny.”

The conversation lulled and they stood there awkwardly, both of them looking anywhere but each other. Charlotte must’ve left earlier because she vanished from behind Bill. Bill knelt down and began working on the karaoke machine again, handing Paul a plug after a minute or two. 

“Could you plug this in over there?” Bill asked, motioning to the outlet on the wall.

Paul nodded and took the plug, pushing it into the wall after a second. The machine lit up with lights and grabbed everyone’s attention. Emma, Ted, and Hidgens walked over from the bar with drinks in their hands. Charlotte came running over and seizing a seat on the couch. Paul smiled fondly at how accomplished Bill looked, before realizing that everyone else was watching and going to take a seat.

When everyone sat down, Bill grabbed the microphone and tapped it to test if it was on. It most certainly was and a few loud thumps echoed out of the speakers, earning a loud groan from Ted. Paul shot him a look and he quickly quieted himself to the amusement of others.

“Hi,” Bill greeted. “I finally got this thing to work, so let the singing begin.”

To everyone’s surprise, Emma shot up and ran over to the front, ripping the microphone away from Bill. He just let her have it and went over to the bar. She took out her phone and found the song, jumping triumphantly in the air. Everyone laughed as the opening notes of “Kiss The Girl” from the Little Mermaid began to play.

Paul felt himself blush heavily and thanked the dark lighting of the room for not revealing his secret. He knew that Emma was singing to him by her making blatant eye contact and dancing toward him while singing. He just hoped and prayed that Bill didn’t notice, despite everyone else noticing. 

“Yes, you want her / Look at her, you know you do / It's possible she wants you too / There's one way to ask her,” Emma sang, walking over and patting his shoulder as she passed. “It don't take a word, not a single word / Go on and kiss the girl, kiss the girl.”  
Paul held his head in his hand and rubbed his eyes, feeling the amused looks from Charlotte and Hidgens and hearing the laughter from Ted. He looked behind him and saw Bill at the bar, mixing a drink. Paul thought to himself, “Must be another Shirley Temple.” 

Once Emma finished her song, she sat down next to Hidgens with a smug look on her face. The professor chuckled, before downing his drink and going up to sing. 

Paul drowned out all of the other singing when the topic of his crush on Bill faded away. He stood up and went back to the bar to grab another beer. He saw Bill sitting at the bar, holding a liquid that was way too dark to be a Shirley Temple. Paul sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Bill–”

“Paul!” Bill jumped and shifted his stare from the wood in front of him to the man beside him, gazing at Paul with wide eyes. “What– What’re you doing here?”

“Getting a drink. You?”

“Oh,” Bill started, glancing at the glass and then at Paul’s hand. Paul noticed and quickly removed his hand, letting it hand by his side. “I just thought I’d just loosen up a bit.”

“Oh, okay,” Paul agreed, nodding slightly. He was worried about Bill, but he couldn’t find the words to express his concern to him. “Do you want me to stay here?”

Bill remained silent for a moment, considering his options, before shaking his head. “I’ll be over there in a moment.”

Paul rubbed his shoulder, trying to comfort him instinctively. The touch lingered with both of them staring into each other’s eyes. Paul tried to avoid being awkward by patting his shoulder, only to quickly retreat back to his spot on the couch.

After more singing and enjoying each other’s company, Bill rushed to the karaoke machine and inputted a song hastily. He looked flustered and drunk, but those thoughts quickly Paul’s mind when the opening notes of “So In Love” from Kiss Me, Kate. 

Paul only knew this song because Alice dragged him to go see this musical with her and Bill. The entire time he only thought of Bill next to him, especially when this song played. But how did he know about– Of course, Emma told him to sing it.

Bill began to sing the song and Paul absolutely melted in response. Paul gaped and Emma had to grab the drink out of his hand to prevent it from falling to the floor. He was completely transfixed by Bill’s singing.

And Bill noticed.

Bill relished in his gaze and sang directly to him, forgetting everyone else in the room. Paul felt the blush on his cheeks return. He wanted to hide away, but Bill’s singing kept him firmly planted in his seat. 

That was until Bill walked over and took his hand, pulling him up to dance with him, while singing, “When I'm close to you, dear / The stars fill the sky / So in love with you am I.”

Paul’s mind replayed those words over and over, taking the rest of the song to process what Bill said. He couldn’t comprehend the thought that Bill not only liked him but loved him. Then again, he couldn’t believe that Bill was in love with him. He gulped and looked between Bill’s eyes and lips. 

Bill finished the song and let the microphone hang idly by his side, moving to take his hand back when Paul didn’t say anything. Then, in a sudden wave of confidence, Paul placed his hands on the sides of his face and pressed a firm kiss onto Bill’s lips. He pulled away quickly after hearing everyone else cheer in response. 

They stared at each other and Paul was about to say something when Bill rushed out of the room, letting the microphone hit the ground. Paul shot a look at Emma, before following him out of the room.

He found Bill sitting outside on the lawn in front of the house. Paul walked over shyly and sat down next to him, neither of them saying anything. They were both aware of the other’s presence, but couldn’t find the words to say. After a moment, he looked over and sighed. Bill looked stunning in the moonlight, the soft light accenting his features in a way that only angels could do. 

Bill eventually looked at Paul and met his eyes. In the soft light, Bill’s eyes lit up in ways he’d never noticed before. Could it be that he finally realized Bill’s love for him? Perhaps. Could it be his awareness for the strength of his own feelings for Bill? That also could be it. Either way, Paul knew that he was in love with Bill and Bill was in love with him.

“Hey,” Paul said softly like he was going to scare him off.

“Hi.”

“I just wanted to–” “I’m so sor–” They both said at the exact same time, silencing themselves to allow the other speak. 

“You go, Paul.”

“Okay,” Paul said and took a deep breath. This was it. He was doing it. “I love you too.”

All the words that Bill was going to say vanished and left him with a blank space. He blinked and felt a smile rise on his lips. He barely believed it. “You do?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty fucking sure.”

They both laughed and Bill placed his hand on Paul’s. Paul took it in his hand and intertwined their fingers, his eyes never leaving Bill’s. He moved, so their legs were pressed together.

“We should head back inside,” Bill muttered half-heartedly, sparing a quick glance to the door. 

“I don’t know. The stars are pretty out here.”

“But you’re prettier.”

Paul felt his cheeks burn up as he said, “Bill, you’re drunk.”

“That doesn’t change anything.” Bill leaned in slowly, not wanting to mess anything up. However, once his lips touched Paul’s, the time spent pining over each other and loving each other without the other knowing caused the kiss to escalate rapidly. 

Paul moved his hand to Bill’s hip and pulled him on top of Paul, Bill pinning Paul to the ground with his body. Bill moaned into Paul’s mouth as Paul ran his hands up his back and to his neck. Bill ran one of his hands from his hip down to Paul’s thigh, using gentle touches to give him more room to crawl in between his legs. 

Another one of Bill’s moans escaped from his mouth just after Paul pressed a kiss to his neck. He was about to go in for another kiss when he heard the professor yell from the doorway, slightly slurred together from the alcohol, “Good god, you two. Don’t fuck on my lawn.”

He then closed the front door and even though the tone was serious, he heard Hidgens and Emma laugh behind the door. 

Bill rolled off of Paul and laid next to him, reaching and holding Paul’s hand again. “You know, Alice owes me chores for an entire month with no complaining.”

Paul looked at Bill with a confused look on his face, saying, “Why? Is she grounded?”

Bill just laughed in a way one could only describe as a giggle. “No, she didn’t think I’d go through with it.”


End file.
